Equalizing-retainer for tire-chains



H. J. HICK.

EQUALIZING RETAINER FOR TIRE CHAINS. APPLICATION FILED MAR. IIl I9I9.

Patented Mr. 30, 1920.

Y Har/y J www @M UNITED STATES 4PATENT OFFICE.

HARRY JOSEPH HICK, OF ALLIANCE,-OHIO.

EQUALIZINGRETAINER 4FR TIREl-CHAINS.Y

, Specification of Letters Patent. Patented Mar, 30, 1920,

Application led March 11, 1919. Serial No. 281,972.-

I T5 all whom t may concern.'

Be it known that I, HARRY J. H ICK, a citizen of the United States,residing at Alliance, in the county of Stark and State of Ohio, haveinvented a certain new andA useful Equalizing Retainer for Tire- Chains,of which the following is a specilication.

The invention relates to an equalizing retainer for automobile tirechains of the Weed type, which'have a creeping move ment around theperiphery of the tire as the wheel rotates in traveling along a road;and the objects of the improvement are to provide a retainer which canbe readily applied to the inner as well as to the outer side of thewheel; which will prevent a loss of the'chain when the same is broken orbecomes unfastened; and which will uniformly..restrain an excessivecentrifugal throw of the chain without Apreventing a creeping orcircumferential movement thereof with reference to the tire.

These objects of the invention, and other ancillary advantages areattained by providing a ring resilient throughout its length of slightlyless diameter than the chain rings, and connecting the same with one ofvthe chainrings by means of a multiplicity of short links slidablymounted upon the resilient ring.

The invention thus set forth in general terms is illustrated in theaccompanying.

drawings vforming part hereof, in which- Figure l is a side elevation ofan automobile wheel showinga chain equipped with the equalizing retamer;

Fig. 2, an enlarged section on line 2 2,

` Fig. 1;

Fig. 3, a detached perspective' view of one of the connecting links; and

Fig. 4, a fragmentary section of the resilient ring joint, and showingone of the links. y

Similar numerals refer to similar parts throughout the drawing.

Upon the rim 1 of the automobile wheel is mounted a pneumatic tire 2,upon'which is shown an anti-skid chain of ordinary constructioncomprising the parallely ring chains or annuli 3 alongside of the tire`connected at intervals by the .cross chains 4 extending around thetreadface of the tire.

The equalizing retainer comprises a resilient ring 5 and the radiallinks 6. The

resilient ring 5 is slightly` less in diameterA than the side chains,and maybe formed of spring wire coiled into a long helix with itsextremities connected to each other in such a manner as to render itelastic throughout its length. This may be 4done by providing a coiledsring wire nipple 7, upon which the ends o the long helix are screwedafter being reversely twlsted so as to be in normal relation whenscrewed upon the nipple.

`because of the comparatively short distance between the adjacentlinks.

The resilient ring 5 is preferably located so as to be opposite andadjacent to the rim of the wheel, and the links preferably have M theirengaging. eyes. and hooks turned inward toward the. wheel so that theseparts will not protrude to strike the sides of deep rruts orotherobstacles alongside the wheel;

and it is obvious that the location of the re- .taining means adjacentto the rimV .of the wheel, reduces materially thel advancing movement ofthe links when near the tread.- ing portion of the wheel, as comparedwith the much greater advancing movement of links extending furtherupward' toward theI center of the wheel, thusl largely avoiding 9.5'

an interference between the retaining means,` and such obstacles. i

By locating the resilient inside ofx and adjacent tothe .chain ring, andconnecting the two rings. together atfrequent inter- '100 vals, a,sulcient tension is' placed jupon the tire chainto prevent'- anexcessive centrifugal throw thereof at any point;. but this tensionL isnot vlocalized or positive enough at any one point tol prevent thenecessary cen-l trifugal throw of the chain' togive it the vdesiredcreeping movement Acircumferentially alongvthetire. And the sliding`engagement of the links with the resilient ring, permits the chain tocreep. or movello 1 locally, aswell as bodily thereon, and also upon thetire, thus giving the resilient ring chains as well asl with referenceto the tire v a floating character with reference to the and thewheel.

Furthermore, the multiplicity of links connecting the resilient ringwith the chain ring, permits a retaining ring to be ernployd of lesstensile strength, as compared with the resilient members of retainingmeans having a relatively few, as for instance four or less, number ofpoints of engagement with the chain ring; with the resulting advantagethat the tension of the retaining means at the several points ofconnection with the chain ring, is not suflicient or positive enough toprevent a free centrifugal throw and circumferential movement of thecross chains at or adjacent to such point of connection. The equalizedor uniform throw of the chain is shown by broken lines in Fi 1. v

It is obvious that the retainer may be apjplied to the outer side ofawheel by merely hooking the links'to the chain ring, and that it maylikewise be applied to the'inner side of a wheel by stretching andslipping it over the tire of the wheel, and inthe latter event vtheretainer will hold the chain upon the axle, in case it leaves the wheel.And finally a retainer can be used on either side of the wheel, but itsuse on -tlfe outer side thereof will generally be Isufficient forpractical purposes.

Although the drawings and description herein disclose the best mode inywhich I have contemplated embodying my invention, the same is notlimited to the details of such disclosure, for in the further practicalv application of the invention, many changes` inf form and constructionmay. be made within the vscope of the claims, as circumstances requireor experience suggests, without departing from the spirit of thelinvention.

1. The combination of tread chains across 'and annuli alongside a wheeltire with a reinside of one of the annuli and silient ri adjacent totherim of the wheel, and a multiplicity of links connected with the sameannulus and slidably engaged on the ring.

4. An equalizing retainer for wheel tire chains having an annulusalongside the tire comprising a spring ,coil ring inside of the annulusand adjacent to the rim of the wheel, and a multiplicity of linksconnected with the annulus and slidably engaged on the ring. I

5. The combination oi' tread chains across and annuli alongside a wheeltire with a spring coil ring inside one of the annuli and ladjacent tothe rim of the wheel, and a multiplicity of links connected with thesame annulus and slidably engaged on the ring.

HARRY .JOSEPH HICK.

